The Immortal Bird
by silverwolf-fox
Summary: Ace attends the circus and becomes enthralled with the fiery blue phoenix headlining the show. As he gets to know the mythical bird, he learns that there's a dark secret about the circus and is determined to help his friend.


A wave of relief swept through the crew when an island appeared on the horizon. After spending an unusually long two months at sea, the Whitebeard Pirates were feeling more than a little stir crazy, and one crewmember felt it the worst.

Leaning against the side of the crows nest, Second Division Commander Portgas D. Ace was vibrating in excitement, flames flickering along his shoulder. He'd barely gotten to step off the ship at the last island due to a buildup of division paperwork that he had..._misplaced_, and he knew he'd get tossed into the ocean if he "accidentally" set it on fire. Again. But this time all of his work was completed, his division's chores prior to docking were finished, and nothing would keep him from jumping off ship.

It was high noon when the Moby Dick pulled into port on the Spring Island, and Ace leapt from his position to land nimbly on the deck to help where he could. As soon as everything was ready, the young commander wasted no time abandoning ship and following the wooden dock to the shore. The sky was clear, and the weather was on the warmer side of temperate, telling Ace it was probably around summertime for the island.

The townspeople were friendly and didn't seem to mind the newly arrived pirates, so Ace decided to wander the local shops and find some place to eat. Throughout the market, he started to notice a single flier posted everywhere there an empty spot on a wall. Out of curiosity, he pulled one off and saw it was an advertisement for a travelling circus.

An arm landed around his shoulders, and he glanced to see his best friend Thatch peering over his shoulder.

"What have you got there?" he asked. Ace raised his hand so they could both read the paper easier. Nightly performances were held in a large tent pitched in a clearing outside of town, and the flier boasted stunning acrobatics, daring feats, and a special attraction unlike anything the audience had ever seen. Ace hummed in interest.

"Let's see the show tonight."

* * *

Even in the fading light of evening, the bright red tent was easy enough to find, considering the way it towered over the trees of the forest surrounding the clearing, and Ace couldn't help the small thrill of excitement that shot through him. Along with Thatch, Izo and Haruta had also decided to tag along. They paid for tickets and strode in to find a seat amongst the wooden bleachers that circled around the large ring marked off on the floor.

Ace munched on the bag of popcorn he bought on the way in and looked around while the crowd slowly trickled in to fill the seats. While the center ring was empty, there were two trapezes tied off above suspended platforms that stood on either side of the tent connected only by a rope. The stands were slowly filling, the buzzing sound of chatter growing louder until a man in a white ringleader's outfit topped by a blue fur-lined coat walked out into the middle of the ring, and the audience went silent with a sudden hush.

"Good evening," he announced, sweeping his hat off in a smooth motion that turned into an extravagant bow. "We welcome you to the Breed Circus! I am your ringmaster Breed. I hope you're ready for the night of your life, because you will be witness to wonders you've never seen before and never will again! Prepare to be awed and stay in your seats until our finale blazes bright. And so without further ado, let us begin!"

The show began to the sound of applause, and after a few acts, Ace had to admit that he was...underwhelmed. It wasn't that the performers weren't talented or enjoyable to watch, but it was hard to be impressed when he knew someone on his crew that could do it better. Knife throwing, balancing acts, and even the contortionists seemed stiff when compared to the rubber-bodied brother he grew up with, and what was a tamed tiger to the terrifying might of the Tiger Lord? The only thing moderately interesting were the strange, neon green collars around their necks, however it was enjoyable to see how much fun the rest of the audience was having. No doubt most of them were born and lived on this island and had no exposure to the strange wonders the rest of the New World had to offer.

After the final performers vacated the stage, two backstage workers wheeled out what looked like a large box covered in a black sheet.

"And now for the moment you've all been waiting for!" Breed walked around the cart, holding the gaze of his captive audience. "A most extraordinary creature, unseen anywhere else in the world! A beast of untold beauty and grace but also of unimaginable power! I give you The Immortal Bird: The Phoenix!"

He gripped the fabric and pulled, revealing what lay hidden inside. The entire crowd gasped, and Ace launched to his feet, his bag of popcorn crashing to the ground. A bird, as tall as any man, with feathers made of cerulean flames wearing the same green collar around its long, slender neck. Golden embers danced throughout its plumage, and three tails of glowing ringlets floated nonsensically around its perch. The cage it was in looked too small, only just big enough for the bird to fit.

Words couldn't describe it, and even if they could, the air was stolen from Ace's lungs the moment he saw it. He could feel his fire responding to the mythical bird in a way he'd never experienced before.

Its head turned this way and that as if it were observing the people, and when its bored expression landed on him and the red flames unconsciously flickering amidst his hair, Ace went deaf to the cheers exploding within the tent. The phoenix's dark rimmed eyes widened almost imperceptibly and offered a glimpse into the intelligence lurking beneath the surface of the so-called beast.

Breed unlocked the cage and stepped back to allow the phoenix to hop out, its claws digging into the dirt. No longer restricted by the encroaching bars, it stretched out, impressing everyone with the size of its wingspan. Dust erupted from the force of the fiery wings lifting the phoenix into the air, and it flew around the inside of the tent, performing quick turns and spins. Ace watched, eyes wide with wonder and mouth open in a wide grin as it dipped low just enough to tease the outstretched hands desperate for a touch of that beautiful blue fire. With a graceful spiral, it soared in his direction, and Ace felt his arm lift, his hand reaching out, his fingers twitching in anticipation until—

A sharp whistle rang out, and Ace watched in dismay as the phoenix circled around to land beside the ringmaster. He pulled out a knife from his belt and exclaimed, "Now you will all see something truly spectacular, for this creature is not called immortal for nothing. Behold, ladies and gentlemen!"

The sudden gesture that brought the knife's edge to the bird's chest was met with startled gasps. It sliced into the body hidden beneath the fire, and Ace felt his heart leap. Before the blade even finished cutting across the breast bone, cerulean flames licked across the wounded flesh, removing all evidence of the injury, and the fearful murmuring quickly turned into thunderous applause.

Not a drop of blood was spilled, and the phoenix never flinched.

His body started to tremble, and he may have charged the stage if not for Thatch grabbing his arm and yanking him back down to his seat with a hushed, "I understand, but you need to calm down." Ace bit his tongue and fisted his hands in the dark fabric of his shorts. Thankfully there wasn't much left of the show to sit through, and soon enough the phoenix was clambering back inside its cage to be wheeled away as Breed thanked everyone for coming.

As the audience filed out, many were excitedly gushing about the magical creature, but the group of Whitebeard Pirates were wary of the tension oozing off of their Second Division Commander. They barely made it outside the tent before Ace told them he'd see them back on the Moby and hurried away before hearing anything more than a pleading request that he not set anything on fire.

Thanks to the darkened sky, moving around without being spotted was simple. Ace followed the wall of the tent around back and found several smaller ones pitched in its shadow. There were a few workers carrying boxes of props and equipment into one of them, and he snuck past quietly as he could. As he lurked around the edges, Ace monitored the teeming site. From the shifting of performers and animals, he easily identified the tents that belonged to each, as well as the ones dedicated to equipment.

Ace stopped just outside the opening to where the animals were kept, and when he didn't hear anything, he slipped inside and made a tiny flame in his hand to light his way. All of the cages were lined up neatly. As he walked past, the animals would either lift their heads to gaze at him or flat out ignore him, and he paused next to the tiger's case. Peering between the bars this close, when the beast turned its massive head, a sympathetic pang shot through Ace at the dullness in its eyes. It didn't even growl when he reached a hand in to pat its head.

He paid closer attention to the animals as he moved along, and all of them were in similar states. The most movement any of them could be bothered with was to scratch at their thick, jelly looking collars. In the far back was the only cage covered by a sheet. Quickening his steps, Ace approached it and lifted one side of the sheet and hung it over the top, bathing him in blue light as the phoenix was revealed. The glow it gave off was enough for Ace to extinguish his own flame.

Sleepy eyes stared right at him, but Ace released a breath of relief that the black orbs were still bright with life. The piercing way it looked at him made Ace feel a little less stupid when he quietly introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Ace."

To his surprise, the phoenix nodded its head and chirped, "Yoi."

Hesitantly, Ace checked, "Can you understand me?" and dropped his jaw when it once again nodded. Remembering his original purpose for being there, he asked, "Are you okay?" and when the phoenix tilted its head as if unsure he clarified, "I saw the show earlier."

Its head bobbed in understanding, and it stepped closer to the bars and puffed out its chest, a silent offer for Ace to check for himself. Having no fear of the fire due to his Devil Fruit, Ace reached a hand through the bars, pausing an inch away to look back up in its eyes to make sure it was okay, before making contact.

The cerulean flames gave off no heat and felt like thickened air as it flickered between his fingers. Its heartbeat stuttered quickly against the palm of his hand as his thumb gently stroked the perfectly healed spot along the breastbone.

"Does he do that every show?" After a brief hesitation, it nodded. Ace frowned, asking, "Does it hurt?" and it raised its wings in an attempt at a shrug matched with a droll stare. Ace huffed and scratched the back of his head. "Right. Dumb question."

"Yoi," it agreed, receiving a glare in return.

Before he could whine about getting attitude from a bird, it jerked its head to the side towards the entrance. It wacked Ace's hand away with a wing and gestured him away before it started pecking at the fabric folded on the top of the cage so that it would fall. Once again shrouded in darkness, Ace heard the footsteps that must have alerted the phoenix and darted away to slip underneath the bottom of the tent to escape outside.

Figuring he'd pushed his luck enough for one night, Ace briefly looked back to where he knew the phoenix was behind the wall and promised he'd return even though he knew it couldn't hear him. Sneaking back through the maze of tents, Ace ran back to the Moby Dick. He found the crew enjoying the warm night on deck with rounds of alcohol, but the stone in his gut drove him below to escape to his cabin.

Thoughts consumed by blue fire, sleep refused to come easily.

* * *

When Ace made it to the circus' animal tent the next night, the show was long over and cleanup was already finished. Without having to dodge the employees, he quickly made it inside the tent and strode with purpose past the other animals. The large, covered cage was just where it had been the night before, and Ace wasted no time flipping up the sheet and basking in the blue light that tinted his skin.

Ace was in awe of the creature that was just as beautiful as he remembered. The phoenix was sitting down when its head jolted toward him, dark eyes wide in surprise, and Ace belatedly realized that the poor thing had probably been asleep.

"Yoi?"

"I'm Ace," he reminded it. "Do you remember me?" It stared at him but didn't hesitate to nod its head. Ace grinned widely and sat down to put them at the same level. "You know, I've been thinking that I need something to call you." The phoenix perked up at the idea and nodded when asked if it was male. Folding a fist under his chin while he thought, Ace confidently decided to name the mythical bird Blue and found a very unimpressed look staring back at him.

He was absolutely sure that if birds could sigh, Blue would have.

Happy with his decision, Ace snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Oh!" as he remembered something. "I brought you something." Shifting his weight to one side, Ace dug into his pocket and pulled out a fist full of loose nuts. He slipped his hand through the bars and offered them to Blue who looked at the nuts, looked back at Ace, and sharply looked away, dismissing the gesture as if insulted.

Ace gaped and felt his temper flare. "Hey, do you have any idea how much trouble I'll be in if Thatch finds out I took these without asking? What, are you not hungry?"

Blue shook his head but didn't turn back towards Ace.

"Do you not like nuts?"

Another shake.

Ace paused for a moment. "Is it because you don't want to eat out of my hands?"

Blue dropped his head but ultimately nodded.

Groaning, Ace bluntly said, "Well it's that or off the floor." He waited, keeping his hand floating between the bars of the cage, palm up, until he honestly thought that Blue was going to refuse to eat all together before the large bird slowly faced his way and dipped his head to peck at the nuts.

He refused to meet Ace's eyes while he did so, obviously hating the situation, and Ace found himself wondering how hungry the phoenix was to do it anyway. After his hand was pecked clean, Ace pulled it away and wiped the dust off on his pants. Seeing the dark sullen eyes avoiding his own stopped him from reaching into his pocket for the rest of the nuts he carried.

Feeling as though he'd crossed an invisible line, he mumbled an awkward apology. Blue surprised Ace by snorting, and the pirate could have sworn he was being laughed at. He watched the bird shake out his feathers and adjust his wings before settling back down.

"That's a pretty small cage, isn't it?" Though a question, Ace said it matter of fact. Though it was large enough for an adult human to stand tall in, he had no doubt that the phoenix felt cramped, unable to stretch out his massive wings. Glancing around at the bars that confined him, Blue lifted his wings and shrugged. Ace hummed and leaned back on his hands. "I can't imagine ever living like that. You know," he mused, sitting up, "I could get you out no problem."

He reached towards the lock holding the door closed but barely got within an inch before a sharp beak attacked the back of his hand. Ace yelped, surprised that it had actually hurt. One glance revealed a smear of blood by his knuckle, and he stared wide-eyed at it before his eyes shot to Blue in shock. Being injured was almost unheard of since eating his logia fruit, but Blue showed no signs that he was aware that what he did shouldn't have been possible. Instead, dark narrowed eyes were warning him away.

"Yoi!"

Narrowing his own eyes in return, Ace went for the lock again only for Blue to try and peck him again, missing by a hair now that Ace was prepared. Several attempts to grab the lock and melt it off later, Blue fighting him away each time, the young pirate finally snapped.

"Fine! Stay in there!" He hopped to his feet and quickly stormed away, not noticing the sorrowful eyes following him.

Part of Ace didn't want to bother going back.

He had only been trying to help and had gotten a bloody hand for his trouble.

But he did go back. Except for a passing glare at the lock, he didn't mention breaking Blue out again, instead telling stories about his little brother and about his life after setting out to sea. His life as a pirate seemed to be of particular interest to Blue, who stared unblinkingly once Ace mentioned being a part of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Every night that week, Ace returned with more stories of his home with the crew, of the islands he visited, and every night Blue listened with rapt attention. It wasn't until the last night that the crew would be on the island when Ace was sitting back against the cage with Blue leaning his head through the bars to preen Ace's dark hair that he decided to broach the taboo topic.

"Hey, Blue," he started, feeling his friend nudge the side of his head with his beak to show he has his attention, "are you happy here?" Blue paused and pulled away. Ace sat up and turned in time to see Blue sadly look away. He shrugged, but Ace could tell what he wanted to say and entreated, "So why stay? Why not come with me? I can free you!" It was a struggle to keep his voice low enough to avoid detection, but he wanted an answer. Needed one.

Blue's entire demeanor deflated. He lifted a fiery blue wing and pointed to the green jelly-like collar around his neck before gesturing to the other caged animals within the tent.

Ace eyed it when the truth struck him like a bolt of lightning. "That's no ordinary collar."

It wasn't a question, but Blue still answered with a shake of his head.

"So that Breed guy is a Devil Fruit user?"

A nod. "Yoi."

He was a little afraid to ask but, "What do they do?"

Blue tilted his head, and Ace rubbed the back of his neck, feeling silly for forgetting that the phoenix couldn't actually answer. He opened his mouth to ask something simpler when Blue started waving him away, the usual sign that someone was coming.

In light of what he had just discovered, instead of escaping out through the bottom of the tent, he skidded to a stop behind one of the other cages and dropped to his stomach. The lion inside lifted his head to spare him a bored glance before falling back asleep.

Through the shadows, the circus' ringleader approached, and Ace hissed a curse when he saw Blue unsuccessfully dragging the sheet back down to shield his cage.

"What's this, my precious little flame?" Breed asked. At the sound of his voice, quiet and threatening, Blue pressed himself to the opposite side of the cage to get as far from the man as possible for all the good it did him.

"Yoi," Blue hastily chirped. "Yoi yoi yoi."

"Silence, pet!" commanded Breed. The green collar standing stark against Blue's fire glowed, and the fearful black eyes flashed red as the phoenix fell silent mid-sound. "Much better," he was praised. "You know I don't like to punish you."

Ace grit his teeth to stop from crying out, his fingers curling into the dirt so he didn't storm out there and give that bastard the punch his face deserved. His body itched to help his friend, but there was the tiniest movement where Ace saw Blue's eyes dart in his direction. His single head shake was nearly imperceptible, but Ace understood.

Blue didn't want him to interfere.

Even if he couldn't stop Breed, Ace refused to leave Blue alone and remained lying on the cold dirt while Breed took advantage of Blue's magical healing ability to instill his cruel punishment.

Blue never cried out, not during and not after the man decided he'd had enough and recovered the cage before leaving. A dark part of Ace wondered if it was because of the earlier order or if the mythical creature was just used to the treatment. The moment Breed closed the flaps of the tent behind him, Ace ran and lifted the covering. The bursting cyan flames had dissipated, having already healed the phoenix lying awkwardly on the floor of his cramped cage.

"Blue?" Instead of answering, Blue tucked his head under his wing, a silent wish to be left alone. The hand holding the edge of the sheet shook, and red-orange fire raged across his freckled skin. "Never again," he promised. The steel in his voice made Blue flinch, but Ace had already dropped the cover.

Ignoring the urge to give in to his temper was difficult, but he knew he had to listen to the voice inside his head telling him to talk to Pops first. Though the nurses would be pissed if they found out, the moment Ace made it back to the Moby Dick, he ran straight for his captain's room despite the late hour. It took awhile to wake up the older pirate, and Ace felt a little guilty since he knew Pops needed all the sleep he could get but the thought of Blue drove him on. Gruff and groggy from being roused in the middle of the night, Pops still patiently listened to his youngest son explain about the circus set up outside of town and how the ringleader was using a Devil Fruit to control the people and animals.

Saying Ace asked for permission to liberate the performers might be a stretch.

It would be more accurate to say he was warning his captain that he was planning to burn it all to the ground in case doing so would affect their planned departure.

Feeling better for running his plan past his father and receiving a positive response, even though he could admit it was mostly because Pops had only been half-awake at the time, Ace sprinted the entire way back to the circus.

Starting with the main tent and sensing it was empty, he unleashed an inferno, and the fire quickly spread and lit up the night like an orange dawn. The heat and sound of crackling wood drew the carnies out of their tents in a panic, but Ace kept his eyes peeled for his main target.

"What the hell is going on here?! Put this fire out!"

Ace clenched his fist when he heard a familiar voice ring out above the others. He saw the heavyset ringleader running his way and knew the moment Breed noticed the embers licking against his skin and realized the source of the fire. With no knowledge about how his Devil Fruit activated, Ace couldn't risk giving him even a moment. If one of those collars ended up around his neck, it'd all be over.

Breed raised his hand, and Ace saw the green slime covering his palm just before it was flung towards him. Cursing, Ace dove to the side in time, but Breed wasn't as fortunate when Ace punched his fist forward and yelled, "Hiken!" The roar of the fire consumed the ringleader's screams as he was engulfed in the burning embers. Dropping to the ground, he rolled around in the dirt to try and put himself out.

Clothes singed and skin blistering, Breed forced himself to his feet with labored breaths. He pointed to two of the performers and snarled, "You two! Attack!" Collars glowing and eyes burning red, they dropped the buckets of water they held and recklessly rushed towards Ace. Knowing they were ultimately victims didn't help him any as he jumped and dodged their fists. Neither came across as trained fighters, though the strength and dexterity they'd earned through their acts gave them an edge. Their eyes were wide and tearful, unwilling slaves to Breed's commands, and Ace felt a modicum of guilt when he grabbed the front of the man's shirt and crescent kicked the woman to the ground. He used the momentum of the kick to drag the man around in time to use his body as a shield against a splatter of green slime.

Offering a small apology to the man in his grasp, Ace flung him at Breed. They collided and crashed to the ground, and the pirate used the distraction to quickly follow up his human projectile. Breed shoved his minion off with a shouted curse just in time for Ace to bring a fiery foot down in a fierce axe kick.

The sound of shattering glass pierced through the night.

All of the performers that had been forced to try and put out the flames froze and clutched at their bare throats, bright green shards littering the ground at their feet. Crying out, they grabbed each other in celebration, many dropping to their knees wracked with sobs, and stared over at Ace, desperately thanking him for setting them free. He smiled and nodded but refused to waste any more time.

Just as he had intended, the animal tent was untouched by the fire. Storming in, he found the animals awake and prowling, aware of a change that had occurred, and Ace was melting off all the locks as he rushed to the back to find Blue, ripping the sheet away from the cage and throwing it to the side. There was no longer a collar fixed around his neck, and the phoenix was furiously pecking at the lock to his cage, desperate to break it off.

Blue's head shot up, wide-eyed with disbelief and hope.

Grabbing the lock and heating it up, Ace smiled softly. "Are you ready for your freedom?" When the metal was sufficiently melted, Ace ripped it off and swung the door open. The phoenix surged out the opening straight at Ace, exploding into massive flames, but instead of fiery wings, long tan arms wrapped around him as a heavy weight sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Thank you for saving me, Ace, yoi." The voice was shaky but warm, and the familiar tic at the end left Ace gaping at the man straddling his hips. He had a messy blond tuft of hair on the top of his head and was bare chested, wearing only a loose pair of black shorts, but Ace would recognize those tearful dark eyes anywhere.

"B-Blue?" he stuttered.

"Yoi," the man said with a teasing smirk. "My name's Marco."

"You're not a bird."

Blue - no, Marco - laughed at Ace's attempt to process everything. "Not all of the time, no, yoi."

"But…"

"You're not always made of fire, are you?" Marco raised a teasing brow.

"No," Ace blankly responded. He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. "So you're a Devil Fruit user."

Marco gave an affirming hum and made no move to lift off his perch on Ace's lap.

"And you were human the entire time."

"Yeah, yoi."

Mind going blank for a brief second, Ace was suddenly assaulted by images of Blue eating out of his hand and preening his hair and the feeling of stroking the phoenix's chest, and he felt his own constrict as his face started to burn.

The only sound he could utter was a choked, "Oh."

Grinning at his flushed freckled cheeks, Marco pressed his hands to either side of Ace's face and leaned down to rest their foreheads together. The intimacy made Ace blink, his thoughts and gaze glued to Marco's eyes and the lines of his newly human face.

"So is the invitation still open?" Warm breath puffed against Ace's mouth, and he knew he was blushing even brighter. Red flames flickered in his dark hair and danced with the cerulean fire that burst to life to meet them.

"The...the invitation?" The closeness of the other male left the young pirate unable to think.

"To be a pirate, yoi. To be a Whitebeard." Marco pulled back just enough that Ace was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Traces of heat remained everywhere Marco had touched, and his thumb still softly stroked a freckled cheek. "Take me home, Ace."


End file.
